Reaching for the Light
by xXwhitebunnyXx
Summary: She had always been different. When circumstances force Ayumi to Karakura, she never imagined finding people who were 'different' as well. But getting involved in a war wasn't exactly what she bargained for. What does she have to do with all this, anyway?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Arrival

It was raining.

Millions of frosty water droplets fell from the sky, scattering all over the world. The ripples they made in the small puddles formed resembled the gleaming surfaces of mirrors, shattered over and over again into irreparable broken shards with each passing moment. The heavy downpour never ceased, as if the sky itself became a waterfall in the scant few moments it took for the storm to begin. Dark rainclouds loomed ominously overhead, a gray so deep that it was almost black.

"Well, haven't seen Karakura rain like this in a long time."

A taxi sped by on the slippery road leading into the small town, unobstructed by the rain in its mad rush. Its driver- a middle-aged man who was chuckling rather good-naturedly- smiled a little at the gloomy passenger sitting next to him.

"Lighten up, girlie. It's a rather nice place. I'm sure a time will come when you won't even want to leave."

The young girl scoffed lightly at his words, "Yeah, that'll be the day." she muttered sarcastically, turning slightly to look out the window again.

Light turquoise eyes peered through the storm to no avail, as the rain wrapped everything into a dark, impenetrable shroud. The girl scowled slightly, facing forward once more. Letting out a small sigh, she ran a hand through her short raven hair, which was fallen loosely around her shoulders Her hair flared out slightly in a layered fashion at the ends. Side bangs framing the sides of her face were tucked behind her ears for a few moments before they slipped back again. She wasn't exactly the prettiest little creature who was the epitome of beauty, but she was fairly cute and decent in terms of appearances.

"So, where are 'ya from, girlie?" The driver had enough of the suffocating silence and tried to make conversation.

"Tokyo." Her answer was short and abrupt, indicating that she had no desire to talk.

"The big city, huh?" The man chortled as he veered a sharp turn, "Why are you leaving then? Sounds pretty nice to me."

"My mother died last month."

He fell silent for a few moments at the unexpected answer before speaking again. "Sorry 'bout that, then, girlie. Must be tough on 'ya."

" We were never really close, anyways." She muttered as she fiddled with her black furred jacket for a few moments, "My uncle refused to pay the rent in Tokyo, since it was too high for his liking, so that's why I'm moving to Karakura." She admitted quietly.

The driver let out a low whistle, turning another corner.

"Harsh, girlie." he started to go slower, seeing many lights and silhouettes of buildings come into view.

"Is that Karakura?" she asked, unconsciously sitting up a little straighter.

He bit back a chuckle at her reaction, "Yup, that's Karakura Town, alright."

Ayu ran her fingers over the chestnut-brown briefcase she'd kept on her lap the entire trip. This was the place her uncle was sending her to, where she'd be spending the next few years of her life.

… The thought was rather depressing. Hearing the _pitter-patter_ of the rain against the windows wasn't helping her mood any, either.

"We're here!" the driver leaned back in his seat, "Whew, that was a long drive." He commented.

"Thank you, mister." Ayu gripped her briefcase, the one containing all her possessions. This was it.

"You can call me Mr. Akiyama." He parked at an intersection near the sidewalk, "You should hurry up and find your new place before you get drenched in the storm here."

" It shouldn't be too hard to find the apartment my uncle rented, and it's still evening. I think I have enough time." Ayu opened the door and stepped out into the pouring rain, "Thanks, Mr. Akiyama."

Watching the small cab disappear around the corner, Ayu sighed lightly as she turned and started trudging down the street. She knew it was a bad decision to wear the gray shorts today.

The rain was colder than she'd expected, and surprisingly dense. It was like stepping into a blizzard of icy needles en masse. If she couldn't find the apartment fast, she'd most likely end up with a cold or sore throat tomorrow.

"I should've brought a map or something." she grumbled, kicking at the ground a little before she sighed. Again. "No use complaining about it, I guess."

Ayu was soaking wet by now, and chilled to the bone. Still, she kept her feet moving, one step after the other.

_I'll be there soon...Eventually… _

"Oh, Yuta, you had me worried sick!"

Curiosity piqued by the feminine voice that rang out, Ayu turned to look at a mother hugging a small boy across the street from her, no older than six years at the most.

"Mommy, mommy, look! I got you a birthday present!" the boy's cheerful voice was a sharp contrast to the thundering rain as he held up a beautiful tulip, whose bright, radiant colors surely didn't belong in this bleak storm. "I found this at the park yesterday, and I wanted to give you a surprise!"

The woman's eyes watered as she looked upon her son adoringly, "You didn't have to run out in the storm by yourself to do that, Yuta. Did you know how worried and scared I was when I found out you were missing? Don't ever do something like this again, you hear me?"

The small boy pouted slightly, "But... but I wanted to make you happy!" he insisted.

She gently kissed the top of his head as she gathered him into her arms, smiling. "You don't have to do something like this to make me happy, silly boy. Being with you every day is the greatest gift I can imagine. Come on now, let's go home and get you dry. Then, we'll make some hot chocolate, 'kay?"

"Chocolate!" the boy cheered, letting his mother carry him contentedly.

Ayu could feel a bittersweet emotion welling up inside her as she watched this scene unfold in front of her. Simple acts of familial love...

"Hey, what are you doing?" a male voice broke through the air.

Her head snapped up at the unfamiliar voice that sounded _right next to her_. Wait, did the rain just stop?  
>There was no time to ponder about that, though, as she spun on her heel, looking up and coming face-to-face with a scowling teen who had...<p>

... orange hair?

Ayu blinked in surprise.

"W-what?" was the first thing she managed to stutter out.

"You're soaking wet and you've been standing here completely still. How long have you been out here?" There was a slight scowl on his face as he quickly surveyed in a swift glance.

"Um... I don't know... who are you?" She belatedly noticed that he was holding a blue umbrella, which was currently shielding them both from the pounding rain.

He was a rather decent-looking guy, she supposed, giving him a once-over as well. Toned muscles, most likely got into fights often. Calloused hands, in such a manner that obviously signified street brawls to the experienced eye. She had them as well.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." He raised an eyebrow at her as he introduced himself casually, "And you still didn't answer my question. What are you standing in the rain like a statue for? Are you purposely trying to catch hypothermia?"

"Eh, no. I'm moving in, and I got kinda lost..." she looked away in embarrassment, "I'm pretty sure the apartment is around here somewhere..." she trailed off.

He shook his head, "Ever think about getting a map?"

Ayu glared at him. Helpful or not, this guy was starting to get on her nerves, "Hey, I-"

"Do you have the address?" His sudden question took her by surprise.

"Wait, what?"

"The address. Do you have the address of your new place?"

Ayu fumbled in the pocket of her jacket for the slip of paper, rather daze-like at her stroke of luck. "Do you-"

"I live here." He took the paper from her and scanned it quickly, "Oh. You're moving into _that_ part of town? Isn't it a little dangerous for a girl?"

"You're just being sexist now." Ayu made a face at him, "Can you tell me how to get there?" _Wonder what he means by that?_

"Just go down a few blocks, turn right, and keep on going until you reach the convenience store. Then you take a left, and go down a block or so." he analyzed her again, with a more calculating gaze this time, "Why are you moving there, though? It's the most run-down apartments squished together-"

"My uncle is a cheapskate." She muttered, turning and walking out into the rain to start getting to her new residence. It was starting to get dark now. "Thanks."

"Wait." Ayu stopped as she heard his voice again, "I'll go with you."

"... I'm not that bad with directions, Kurosaki." She frowned, "I think I won't get lost again, if your instructions are accurate-"

"That's not what I meant." He caught up with her in two steps, "There's a lot of gang activity there. It's dangerous."

"How very chivalrous of you to offer." Ayu turned around, "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. After all, you don't grow up in the slums of Tokyo without learning a thing or two in terms of self defense." a small smirk graced her features before she resumed walking away.

There was a moment or two of silence before his voice took her by surprise again.

"Here."

Ayu blinked in surprise as his hand landed on her shoulder to stop her, and he held out his umbrella to her.

"Take it."

"What do you mean? Don't you still-"

"My house is really near." He cut her off, "I can go a few steps without catching hypothermia."

Without waiting for any sort of response, he stuffed the handle of the umbrella into her hand and ran off into the rain, in the exact opposite direction of where he told her to go.

"Hang on! I-I can't take this! It's yours! Are you even listening to me? Hey!" Her mind was still partly shocked at the fact that a guy, a stranger who didn't even know her, had given her directions… as well as his umbrella, despite the heavy storm.

His figure disappeared rapidly into the watery curtains of the storm, and Ayu could only watch numbly as he gradually faded from view.

Kindness. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

Ayu reluctantly -albeit gratefully- curled her fingers around the handle of his umbrella, and began heading down the street once more.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, eh?" a small smile, a _real_ one, settled upon her lips for a few moments before it vanished as quickly as it came. But nothing stopped the warm whisper that escaped from her.

"Thank you."

The shadows of the street curled around her as she, too, disappeared into the rainstorm.

Chapter 1 - End

**This is my first attempt at a fanfic, so please give me a much-valued opinion on how I did! Constructive criticism is appreciated ^^ Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Morning Surprises

_The sea stretched out before her shone a brilliant, azure blue, gleaming as the sunlight hit the waters. Rays of light reflected off the constantly changing surface bounced all around the inside of the cave she stood in, somehow managing to mingle with the dark shadows in perfect harmony. The glossy surface of the cold stone in the cavern was smooth and cool to the touch. Gusty winds whirled around the cliff overlooking the sea, carrying the tangy scent of saltwater with it._

_Ayu turned away from the breathtaking scenery and began walking inside. The deeper she went, the more shadows appeared, and light become scarce._

_She knew this place well. This wasn't the first time she'd come here, and she knew what to do._

_The dancing shadows slowly merged within the glassy walls, no longer just twirling about in random patterns. They coalesced and began forming images -black projectiles lancing through the air, obsidian strings latching onto a humanoid shape, dark, swirling masses that pulled at everything around it._

_It showed her what she was capable of._

_Ayu came to a stop when she arrived at the back of the cave: a pitch black mirror stretching from top to bottom that was completely blank._

_"What I must do?"_

_Her soft, simple question reverberated throughout the grotto, echoing endlessly in an underwater fashion._

_The abilities she possessed had been with her from birth, revealing themselves the day she had been attacked by a huge monster with a gaping hole through its chest. From that day forward, she had been pulled to this place erratically, learning a new skill each time._

_A dark line appeared faintly in the obsidian surface, flickering before its form solidified. It was rather thin, with something resembling tassels swaying at one end._

_Knowledge flooded through her mind, and she knew exactly what she was being shown in that moment._

_Ayu reached out for the object with a shaky hand, easily passing through the wall, and began curling her fingers around it-_

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

"Gah!"

The girl bolted straight up, light blue eyes snapping wide open at the sudden, _loud_ noise that erupted right next to her ear.

"That hurt..." She winced as she yawned sleepily, rubbing her ear as she turned off the annoying alarm clock with her other hand,

Ayu climbed out of her makeshift bed -a couple layers of towels and cloth on the ground acting as a mattress, with a thick, warm blanket on top- and stumbled into the small bathroom a couple steps away.

Her uncle had been more of a cheapskate than she thought. This apartment had just one small, bare room and a miniature bathroom to the right, with a kitchen on the left. It was in bad condition when she'd arrived last night, but she managed to get some cleaning done before she set up her bed to collapse on. After all, mold on the counter wasn't exactly what she wanted to see first thing in the morning.

Taking a white ribbon and biting it so as to have her hands free, Ayu gathered her short hair up into a high ponytail before tying it tightly. The bangs on the right side of her face weren't quite long enough, so she just left it there. Her hair seemed to spike out a little due to its length... or rather, lack thereof.

Ayu let out a long breath of air as she finally finished getting ready, putting on a short-sleeved white shirt and gray skirt.

Idly fixing the red bow that completed Karakura High's female uniform as she came out of the bathroom, she grabbed a smaller, black cloth bag that contained her school utensils.

"I guess I'll get there a little early today..."

Ayu snatched the small pack of onigiri she'd bought at the convenience store yesterday, stuffing it into her bag, and grabbed the apartment keys that lay next to it as well. Stepping outside and locking the door behind her, Ayu turned around and began making her way to the new school.

"You there! New girl who just moved in last night! Yeah, I'm talkin' to you!"

Ayu sighed in irritation as she turned around, finding...

She blinked several times in rapid succession.

... Was that a gang of seven guys or so? Really? This early in the morning?

The one who'd shouted out stepped forward confidently, a smirk visible on his face, "Goin' somewhere?"

"Look, if you have nothing to do, go bother someone else. I need to go to school early." Ayu was quickly becoming annoyed.

"Aw, why bother going at all?" she hated his cocky attitude and the smug way he spoke, "After all, _we_ don't bother going. Why don'cha join us today and go later, hm? We can... _educate_ you in some subjects, _sweetheart_." he changed to a suggestive tone.

"Not interested." Ayu was ticked off by this behavior. "Scram."

"Should we teach 'er a lesson, boss? Newcomers need to know the rules around 'ere, after all." Another boy strode out from the group.

The apparent leader of the gang leered at her, "Guess we'll have to show her things the hard way."

"… I guess I'm not getting out of this without a little scuffle, hm?" she muttered under her breath.

"Eh? What was that?" One of the boys cupped a hand around his ear, "Speak up, _darling_!"

Ayu tossed her bag onto the low wall bordering the sidewalk she was on as the gang erupted into laughter and began closing in on her.

"Three minutes." She turned back around to face them, "This will be over in three minutes."

The leader cocked an eyebrow, "Oh, a feisty one, aren't we? Well-"

He never got to finish his sentence as Ayu promptly punched him in his face, sending him flying.

"SHE HIT THE BOSS!"

Before the gang got over their shock that a 'harmless' little girl had just decked their leader, Ayu was already in front of her next target.

"Hya!"

The elbow strike to the boy's temple made him black out in one blow.

"Who's next, huh?" Ayu smirked evilly as she spun, kicking out backwards and catching another boy on the chest. He was knocked into two others from the force of the sudden attack, which created a painful domino effect.

Lashing out with several quick palm strikes at the next closest victim, she was well-prepared for an incoming blow coming from behind.

"Don't think you'll get away with this!" the boy shouted, lunging towards her in a flying side kick.

Ayu ducked at the last possible moment, which caused her current opponent to receive a smashing kick into the face. Taking the chance that the boy who'd tried a sneak attack on her was off-balance by his missed attack, she struck his neck swiftly in several points, successfully paralyzing him. Another hard kick to the stomach sent him hurtling through the air, colliding painfully with the boy who had been charging towards her.

"Gotcha!"

A boy grabbed her from behind and flipped her over his shoulder, a sickening grin on his face as he waited for the sound of a bloody crunch signifying her head hitting the pavement...

Ayu laughed as she twisted herself in the air, angling her body, and thrusted her hands forward when she was close enough to the ground, using the momentum from his throw to execute a quick backflip and land on her feet lightly in a slight crouch.

"Is that all you've got?" she taunted, grinning as she saw his expression of shock and fury, "My turn!"

He had no time to react before he realized that Ayu was right behind him. A quick neck chop let him slip blissfully into unconsciousness.

Adrenalin rushing through her veins, Ayu looked up eagerly for her next target, uncanny aqua eyes glinting in anticipation, preparing herself to retaliate for the punch which would-

Wait. Why was nothing there? She glanced around her surroundings curiously.

The gang lay sprawled out all over the ground in mangled, bloody heaps, groaning and cursing in pain. Some were clutching their heads, others cradling their arms, and a few were massaging their legs.

"N-no bore! W-we'll leab you a-alone!"

Turning towards the source of the voice, she saw the leader of the group clutching a bleeding, broken nose, and trying to nurse several bruises all over his body.

Ayu began walking in his direction.

He whimpered in fear as he tried to scramble backwards to escape from her.

"S-stob id!" He sobbed as Ayu struck his side with her foot brutally, "Blease!"

He let out a scream of pain as Ayu kicked him again, this time in the ribs, and the sickening snap of bones breaking filled the air.

"Demon..."

"Monster..."

Ayu froze as she heard these whispers around her.

"Did you see..."

"Ruthless..."

"She was _laughing_..."

"Psychotic..."

Ayu stopped.

Those whispers and groans of pain, along with the sniffling whimpers of the boy slumped before her...

"Don't mess with me again." She forced the words out of her mouth and turned away, grabbing her bag and continuing on her way.

This wasn't the slums in Tokyo anymore, where your life was on the line. There was no longer any need to be callous and thorough because you'd be back-stabbed the moment you showed mercy.

_This was not Tokyo._

"What would you say to me now... Kinjiro?" She sighed wistfully.

Ayu felt rather subdued on the rest of her trek to Karakura High.

She grew up in one of the messier slums, where crime was rampant and death a daily occurrence. Her mother was almost never home, always drinking or gambling away at a casino or some place. In fact, she would've died a long time ago if Kinjiro hadn't shown up when he did, helping her escape from a rather vicious mob. The two of them managed to fend off the dangers with each other, though it was a miracle in itself that they managed to survive.

There was also the fact that they were both... _different_ from everyone else. He could manipulate the energy in the environment to some degree, and he helped her successfully utilize her own energy in some ways. It was a good thing they both had their respective special abilities, since the monsters with holes in them always came after the pair for some weird reason.

They were also the only ones who could see ghosts. Go figure.

Kinjiro had been living partly at the local orphanage and partly with her before he'd been adopted by a wealthy couple who were moving to America. That had been two years ago, and she'd never seen him since.

_Oh well... I guess he's happy where he is, now._

Ayu trudged up to the gates of her new school, trying to shake the depressing thoughts from her mind.

_Monster, they called me... Demon, am I? __You_ _would be ruthless if you had to grow up like I did. __You__ would be psychotic if it was the only thing keeping you sane in this lonely, crazy world..._

Ayu took a deep breath to steel herself and calm the churning emotions inside her before she knocked on the door of the class she was supposed to be in. 1-3.

_Well...This is it, I guess. _

She raised a hand to knock politely.

"BATHROOM!" Her eyes widened as the door suddenly flew open, and she was nearly bowled over by the orange-haired boy who burst out and sprinted down the hallway.

_What. The. Frick. Just. Happened._

Ayu stared at the boy as he turned the corner sharply. He looked familiar, for some reason...

"Bathroom already?" A woman -most likely the teacher- stuck her head out the door to look for her wayward student.

"Sorry!" his voice floated back.

Ayu was about to take another step to walk into the classroom when two more blurs bolted out as well.

"Hey! Hey! Sado! Inoue? Hold it!"

"BATHROOM!" the two of them shouted simultaneously.

"Um... ah..." Ayu peeked into the doorway to see if any more people were suddenly going to tear out.

The woman caught sight of her at this moment and promptly forgot about what just occurred.

"Oh! You must be the new student! I'm Ochi-sensei, please come inside!"

Ayu sweat-dropped at this sudden change in attitude. _Is she really a teacher?_

She hesitantly stepped into the classroom after the cheerful woman.

"This is our new transfer student from Tokyo!" She exclaimed.

Ayu bowed slightly from her spot in front of the class, "Hello. My name is Kiyomizu Ayumi, but please call me Ayu. I hope we will work well together."

_... What was that about?_ Ayu wondered as she walked down to one of the empty seats, carelessly glancing out the window...

Ayu froze.

"Is there something wrong?" She heard the teacher call out.

"No… it's nothing." Ayu replied, shaking her head slightly and finally sitting down at the desk. Wasn't the person in black she saw the guy who just ran out? What was he doing with such a large sword in broad daylight?

… This was going to be interesting.

Chapter 2 – End

**Please leave your thoughts on this! ^^ Some things are hinted at in this chapter, and Ayu's background is explored a little. She will probably be involved in the actual story starting in the next update. I'd really appreciate it if you took a little time to tell me what you thought about this!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Arrancar

School was surprisingly… for lack of a better word, _normal_. Back in Tokyo, Ayu used to be constantly harassed because of her unusual eye color. Maybe having an orange-haired kid in her class helped with the attitude. The provocations stopped for a while when she finally hit one of her classmates with a set of weights within the exercise room, but picked up after she was threatened expulsion by the principal. Seriously though, that guy was a wimp if he couldn't take such a casual toss.

Or maybe it would've helped if she hadn't hit his head…

Ayu shook her head. Focus on the task at hand.

She idly spun her pencil between her fingers, staring at the science textbook. It seemed that the teachers here enjoyed piling homework on students over the weekend as well. Joy.

"Oh, forget this." She dropped her head onto the table in frustration, "I can't concentrate!"

The significant increase of energy saturated in the air at Karakura was glaringly obvious now. Added to the constant fluctuations indicating battle, it was proving to be all too distractive.

"But… " Ayu frowned, "Considering the speed which these fights usually end in… Shouldn't it already be over by now?"

Indeed, the rise and fall of the energies had only been growing more and more pronounced with each passing second.

Ayu stared blankly at her homework for a few more seconds.

"Screw this!" She slammed her textbook shut and stood up abruptly, "I should probably go help."

Ayu was admittedly curious. She had never felt these types of fluctuations before –albeit it could be due to the fact that there were a LOT more people in Tokyo, which would cover it up. Also, there was the boy in her class who'd helped her out on her first day, Kurosaki Ichigo, who was always running around in a strange outfit carrying a huge sword.

Something told her it wasn't just for show.

"I wonder what it can do…" She herself held a certain amount of control over shadows, but she'd never known another person who was different beside Kinjiro.

The most intriguing part of moving here was that the monsters (the ones with a weird mask and a hole in their body) here didn't target her very often. Ever since she could remember, she had been fighting them off with Kinjiro. According to one of the more talkative ones, they were targeted because they had 'high reiatsu' for humans. If that was true, then it would be reasonable to assume that there were other people here with higher amounts of spiritual energy.

The energies clashing together were becoming much more fierce now, and Ayu quickened her footsteps. She lived pretty close to the location it was emanating from, so she should be there soon-

"Finally!" Anticipation thumped excitedly in her body. The promise of battle and stepping into the unknown brought her a satisfying thrill. Sometimes, it felt like she was born to fight, despite the fact that she loathed unnecessary conflicts.

There. The sounds of steel cutting through flesh was there, accompanied by shouts of pain and the thuds indicating that blows were being exchanged. Harsh cries as strength was being exerted to maximize the damage done with each strike-

Ayu lightly vaulted herself over a patch of rubble created by large chunks of the upturned ground, intent on figuring out what exactly was going on.

A large, bulky giant –which, in this case, was a literal giant who towered over everything- was panting heavily, all sorts of deep cuts littered across his body…

… and lacking an arm. As in, the entire limb was gone. Completely cut off, with blood still pouring out from the wound.

Blurring into sight across from him was an orange-haired boy, who was starting to become way too familiar.

Kurosaki Ichigo's attire was different, now. His clothes were still black, true, but he had a cloak that billowed out behind him, with tattered ends that drifted in an invisible breeze. The sword he wielded had drastically decreased in size, becoming a thin, dark blade instead.

Speaking of blades, the giant was now reaching for his own sword, slung across his waist.

"Is it really necessary to use your Zanpakuto against someone like him?" A smooth voice broke through the clearing.

The unfamiliar term sent an electrifying jolt throughout her body, and Ayu spun around to look at the speaker. He had cold green eyes, creating a sharp contrast upon his pale skin. The white attire he wore was similar to that of the giant's clothing. There was a strange bone-like helmet thing on the left side of his head, though. But… now that she noticed it, the giant had something akin to the bottom jaw of a skull along the lower half of his face. Come to think of it, why did the giant have a hole through his chest? That was a trait she'd only observed in the monsters before…

"SHUT UP!" The giant roared, but his hand hovered over the sword indecisively.

There was something important about that sword…. Zanpakuto, did the other person call it?

He didn't need long to ponder over this matter, as his opponent suddenly stiffened and clutched his head in pain. A maniacal grin splitting over his face, he launched a kick directly into the boy's stomach, the force sending him flying into a tree.

Ayu winced in sympathy as the tree crashed down.

"Ichigo!" A long-haired girl who'd been standing on the sidelines dashed forward at this point, rushing towards her fallen friend.

Wait. Wasn't that the girl who'd almost run her over on her first day at Karakura High?

"Stay away, Orihime!" The boy shouted at her, despite coughing up blood right after his words.

The girl –Orihime- completely ignored his words. She was so intent on reaching his side, she was oblivious to the details of her surroundings. Such as the giant raising his hand to slam her aside…

Ayu darted between them at the last moment after a brief internal struggle of whether to step in or not, her hand grabbing at the ground and swinging at the giant.

"Rise!" She commanded, making an upward slashing movement toward him.

A wave of darkness rose off the ground and swept into the giant in the form of a spike, tearing into his fist and cutting into his arm.

"AAAGH!" He was completely caught off guard by her sudden attack and withdrew quickly before the black surge could consume him entirely.

"W-Who-?" The girl behind her, also surprised by the impromptu appearance, stumbled back a few steps in shock.

"Man… You just keep popping up like bugs!" The giant complained, astonishment quickly subsiding as he advanced upon them once more.

After seeing his display of strength, Ayu knew he wasn't an easy opponent. An involuntary smile worked its way to her face as she raised her hand in front of herself and concentrated.

… _A dark line appeared faintly in the obsidian surface, flickering before its form solidified. It was rather thin, with something resembling tassels swaying at one end..._

Black strands curled up around her hand from her shadow, darkening and thickening as it formed into what it was meant to be.

"Hey, Ulquiorra, is this one trash, too?" The giant glanced over his shoulder at his companion.

His question was greeted with silence for a few moments.

"… She was not mentioned in the briefing."

"So, can I kill her or not?" He asked impatiently.

"You can try." Ayu closed her hand over the swirling mass.

The giant's head spun around at her voice.

"Say hello to Gekkou no Noroi [1]."

The cloth-wrapped handle of the sword was as dark as night, complete with a hilt resembling a six-pointed star. Her long ebon blade was partly translucent, enhancing its beauty. A silky, black tassel flowed behind the handle.

"A sword? The kid over there used a black sword and look how well he ended up." The giant snorted as he stepped forward and raised a fist, conveniently forgetting that he was missing an arm because of 'the kid'.

"DIE!"

His punch smashed into the ground and he laughed, seeing the crater formed from his massive strength.

"Y'know, you're strong and all, but you need to work on that accuracy." Ayu spoke as she rose from his shadow, black tendrils still swirling around her body. Traveling through shadows was as easy as breathing for her now.

Gripping her sword with both hands, she grinned lightly.

"I _really_ wanted to try this out ever since I learned it," Her blade began glowing an eerie dark violet, as did the shadow of the giant, "Thanks for the opportunity!" She thrusted her sword forward.

The giant's colossal shadow surged upwards, wrapping around his legs first as they rapidly continued to engulf him.

"WHAT IS THIS?" He demanded, struggling to get out of the dark mass curling around his body. To his growing irritation and slight apprehension, it only tightened its constricting hold upon him the more he fought against it.

Within a few minutes, his shadow was on the verge of covering him completely, already up to his neck.

"CURSE YOU, LET GO OF ME!" The giant roared in fury.

Ayu concentrated harder on her reiatsu ,trying to speed up her progress as he began doubling his efforts in resisting being consumed.

_Just… a little… more…!_

"Release him."

The voice of his companion –Ulquiorra, did he call him?- sounded right next to her ear, causing her to lose her concentration as she jerked back a step.

Ayu managed to raise her sword to block the few initial blows he dealt her _with his bare hand_. It was like his skin was made of iron or something, since there was only a thin scratch where her blade collided with his forearm.

The shadow trap she'd constructed around the giant began receding as she was being attacked, resembling a thick liquid of sorts in its descent to the ground.

_No-!_

A sudden excruciating pain ripped through her stomach, and her eyes widened as she looked down just in time to see a bloodstained hand retract.

"… Trash."

Ayu collapsed on the ground. _How? … He… It was… effortless for him…_ She clutched her abdomen as a fresh wave of splitting pain tore through her, causing a sharp gasp to escape. All those years of training to become stronger…

The giant had escaped from the shadow now, and he immediately kicked her, _hard_, upon his newfound freedom.

"THOUGHT YOU COULD TRAP ME, EH?"

Ayu felt something salty and sweet rise in the back of her throat as she hit the ground with a jarring impact. Tilting her head to the side, she felt the first tinge of fear for years when she spat out a mouthful of blood.

_Who… are these people?_

She'd landed next to Ichigo from the giant's kick, and the giant was advancing toward the both of them at this moment.

"DIE!"

Ayu closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow to land… So this was how her life was going to end, huh? What a wretched way to die…

"Awaken, Benihime."

Her eyes shot open when she heard a voice sound in front of her, and she was greeted to the sight of a crimson shield blocking the giant's fist. There were two more people now, a purple-haired woman with dark skin and a light blond man with a striped hat who was holding a sword out.

"Sorry about being late, Ichigo." The man spoke without bothering to turn around as he let the barrier fall.

Why was everything starting to spin? His voice sounded so strangely distorted…

"… friend… help?... Yoruichi… medicine…"

The hazy dark edges lingering at the sides of her vision finally took over. Everything was so… black now. Very black.

Pitch black.

Chapter 3 - End

[1] Curse of the Moonlight (_Gekkou no Noroi_)

**Lol, this chapter took a lot longer. ^^" Didn't feel quite right. I hope I actually got the translation right… I don't speak Japanese! Anyways, feedback, please? Reviewing only takes a moment or two, I promise!**


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